A/N: Blah, blah, blah usual warning. You against gay love? GTFO. Percico shippers are welcomed.

Disclaimer: I do not own Percy Jackson, Nico di Angelo and other characters. All hail Rick Riordan!

Ships to be sailed: Percico, Piperbeth *wink

Embarrassment? Nahhh, Just Love: Part One

It was Friday night and Nico Di Angelo sat on his bed after a day's training. He got back in his cabin as soon as his training was over when a certain green-eyed demigod entered his line of sight. Of course, Nico wasn't being mean and purposely avoided the son of Poseidon. It was just that he didn't want to lose control of himself whenever the brunette smiled at him. Whichever control he was talking about, it could've been his interest for the guy or the slight annoyance for him. Either way, they summed up to have the exact source. Nico liked Percy even after the death of his sister. And it irritated him to the core.

He sighed and prepared a new set of clothing before getting up and turning the showers on when a faint knock was heard. Nico made his way towards his cabin door and opened it. A girl several inches taller than him beamed at him brightly. Her skin gave a light brown tone and her features were alluring. Although not too alluring for Nico, he thought. Her hair went down on her shoulders and a braid hung at the side of her face. "Hey Nico!" Piper greeted. The daughter of Aphrodite wore a light red blouse and leggings that folded up on her knees.

"What brings you here?" Nico raised an eyebrow. He didn't want to be rude but knowing Piper was at his door, nearly evening, he knew full well this demigod has something to say. And he usually didn't like it.

"Don't be like that! Anyways, Leo and the others are gathering up by the camp fire for some Truth or Dare, Seven Minutes in Heaven, and what-not. You might have a chance this time!" She clasped both her hands together and kept the smile plastered on her lips. She had a twinkle in her eye that said something else. He knew that Piper had a small crush on the prudent blonde known as Annabeth. Besides Nico himself, Piper knew about his liking for Percy.

Nico frowned and crossed his arms. As much as he trusted his friend, Piper, he just didn't want to go through her plans sometimes. Mostly, they contained of embarrassing himself or rather doing something ridiculous which also ends up embarrassing himself so he doesn't really see a difference there. "Piper, no. I don't want to expose my face to everyone at camp. Not that I expose my face enough already by training. I know you only wanted to do this so you could get Annabeth for yourself." He rolled his eyes. He didn't like social interaction and as far as he calculated, Piper was the only person in camp he's close to.

The female brunette pouted and shoved her hands down on her pockets. Leggings had pockets? Oh, well. Her cheeks tinged rosy pink at the mention of her crush. "Neeks, at least just this one time? I won't bother the both of you until I come up with another plan. Or better yet, do this for me. Not for him, for me" She grinned and held hope in her eyes. Besides Bianca, Piper is the only person Nico was loyal to. Sure, he can be cold, mean, sarcastic, and the list could go on but he has some pretty good sides too. He's loyal to his friends, or friend, for that matter. He's a softie on the inside once you get to know him. And just like everyone, he also had his own problems to deal with.

The son of Hades contemplated on this for a while before giving up and nodding. "Fine, just once." He uncrossed his arms when Piper lunged and hugged him. "Thank you! I'll be outside waiting for you with Reyna." And as soon as the hug ended, Nico turned to glare. "No touching" He muttered. "…Reyna?" He asked, remembering the name that left his friend's lips. "Oh, haven't told you, have I? The demigods at Camp Jupiter were invited to join this Camp Fire join-along. So, it's more of a huge hangout that any camp fire join-alongs we had," Piper descended down the steps and grinned. She turned her back and walked towards the girl standing a few feet from her. Praetor Reyna, daughter of Bellona.

Nico inspected the two before shutting his door. He went inside the bathroom and stripped himself off his clothing. He placed them neatly on the sink counter and looked straight into the mirror. He pouted and scowled to check his looks on the mirror. Somehow, he hates himself for falling deep for Percy. He knows he can never have him, considering the fact that the son of Poseidon was a hundred percent straight and was probably in-love with Annabeth. Nico frowned when he thought of a thousand possibilities as to why the brunette would like the girl. She was smart, beautiful, and achieves everything she aims to achieve. Though, she's had her flaws. Clingy being one. She was one for public display of affection and had the guts to come close to Percy. This bothered Nico a lot. It was as if Percy and Annabeth had an unspoken relationship. 'I should stop overthinking this' He gritted his teeth and lowered his head. He breathed in and out before stepping into the showers.

Nico walked out of his cabin wearing the similar attire he would usually wear on a daily basis. Dark colored pants, grey converse shoes, a black skull shirt and his aviator jacket. Figuring he probably didn't need his Stygian iron sword, he left it behind in his room. As he descended the stairs, Piper walked up to him and brought him to the camp fire. It's been long since he's had any social interaction with the demigods in camp. He plopped down beside Piper while the others took their time and made small conversations with their friends. Nico turned to Piper to talk but found her busy talking to Reyna who had followed them without him knowing. 'So much for company' He thought. He turned his head away and fiddled with his thumbs.

He heard familiar laughter and decided to look up. Looks like luck wasn't on his side today.

Percy and Annabeth were talking to each other and settled down on the place in front of Nico and Piper. He could see Annabeth constantly touching Percy's arm and Percy would do nothing about it. Wow. Is he that oblivious? Nico scoffed. Or was it because he didn't mind Annabeth touching him? Jealousy rose inside him and pursed his lips. He managed to turn away when Leo finally got their attention.

"Hey guys! This night, we'll be having Truth or Dares and Seven Minutes in Heaven, as mortals call it. We could call it Seven minutes in Olympus or Elysium! Although, let's not get into that thought too much." He chuckled. No one seemed to laugh at his "joke" or was it even a joke? Nico stared at the brown toned boy with curly locks of hair. Leo sighed and continued. "As I was saying, we spin the bottle to choose the person who'll ask us for a truthful answer or a mischievous dare" Leo placed an empty glass bottle in front of us and spun it around. The bottle landed on Clarisse. He gulped and handed the bottle to the daughter or Ares. "Spin the bottle and-"

"Yeah, yeah, I know" Clarisse interrupted Leo before he got a chance to finish whatever he was saying. The guy huffed and sat down beside the couple Nico loathed. Clarisse spun the bottle and landed on Thalia. The girl with electric blue eyes and short dark hair groaned. "Fine. Clarisse, truth or dare?" She asked. She gave off a powerful vibe but friendly altogether. He figured when both these girls clashed, it wouldn't end well.

"I'm not stupid to let you make me do what you want. I go for truth," The girl grinned and applied a smirk on her face. She crossed her arms to look intimidating but nothing rubbed off. Thalia simply nodded slightly and smiled. Nico took his chance to glance at the demigod in front of him and saw Percy looking at him already. He tensed but it went unnoticed as the green-eyed brunette smiled at him. Nico, too confused to smile back, gave him a confused look before turning to look at the blonde that was staring at him as well. She looked cross and a silent message seems to pass between her and Nico. 'He's out of your league' It clearly says. Nico only ignored it and turned back to the daughter of Zeus as she asked, "Clarisse, are you bi or lesbian? I know these sort of things aren't really taken notice of but I just want to know which part you consider yourself as" She kept a face void of emotion but something in her voice made it seem like she was smirking inside.

To their surprise, something passed by Clarisse's features that looked similar to shock but he could've been mistaken. Though, when Clarisse's jaw dropped, he knew the girl was taken aback by what she heard. "I- what?! I am neither!" She yelled. A blonde guy taller than Percy stood and held something in between his hand. "Truth, Clarisse. We know it when you lie" He grinned evilly at the fuming girl. The blonde had a cut on the side of his lip and had the same electric blue eyes like Thalia. Jason slowly sat back down and kept his eyes glued to the device he held. The device was probably something the Hephaestus kids made.

Clarisse took a deep breath and glared at the demigod across her. "B-bi. It's not such a big deal, anyways" She fumed once again and settled down with the other Ares children. Thalia nodded and exhaled. She kept the laughter inside when she saw her face and she couldn't help it. Nico watched as she spun the bottle but his attention was quickly caught by something else. Piper stood and made her way across them. He panicked for a mere second but remembered how Piper would never tell anyone he had a crush on Percy. I mean, who wouldn't?

He watched the girl talk to Percy. Nico stared hard but Piper soon turned her head to the blonde beside Percy. From a distance, Nico could see Annabeth blush lightly. He assumed Piper was probably using her charm speak. But on Annabeth? He shrugged. Piper held out her right hand and after what seems to be a century; Annabeth took her hand into hers and was led away from the group. Nico saw the side of Piper's mouth turn up when she glanced his way. 'What is this girl thinking?' He wondered.

Nico sighed and glanced back at the group. Thalia is now acting like a chicken. She folded her arms and tucked her hands beneath her armpits and made clucking noises. Leo tumbled over, laughing. Everyone around the camp fire giggled and laughed as well but Leo's was over the top. The bottle probably landed on the Hephaestus kid and he dared her to act like a chicken. Nico tried to find this act a little funny but it didn't make him smile.

The pale boy leaned back and supported his head with his hand. He propped his elbow on his right knee and stared at the fire. Suddenly, he felt a presence next to him and when he looked up, his eyes widened. The boy he'd been dreaming about sat down beside him. When Percy caught him staring, he smiled again. "S'up Nicky?" Nico probably melted when he heard his name roll off the brunette's lips.

Nico blinked and shrugged. "I'm okay. And don't call me Nicky!" Actually, he liked the way Percy made his nick name. It sent shivers down his body. In fact, he doesn't know if the warm feeling in his stomach and the tingling sensation was okay for him at all. He both loathed and loved the presence beside him but obviously, he wouldn't voice out his opinions to the guy. Percy frowned and poked the ghost king on the arm. "What?" The raven haired teen raised an eyebrow. "Why are you avoiding me? I couldn't stop thinking that I did something wrong to you." He admitted.

Nico would do anything to wipe that frown off his face. He didn't know he was staring at Percy's lips until he spoke. "Uhmm.. Nico?" This snapped him out of his trance and looked back up at his green mesmerizing eyes that seem to take a form of the sea. "I'm not avoiding you," He said. "I'm just busy with things." He turned away before he could lose himself again. The other campers were laughing as Leo had attempted to stand on his head but ended up falling on his butt. Nico, for the first time this evening, smiled. Percy noticed and nudged him in the ribs. "You're pretty cute when you smile. Keep it up and maybe you'll get the ladies in no time." He winked. Nico couldn't stop the blood that rushed to his cheeks when the brunette commented. Holy Hera, he even winked! He sucked in his lips and looked around. "I don't swing that way…." He muttered lowly. Percy didn't catch on what he said so he leaned closer.

"Sorry, didn't get that. What was that?"

"I said… You're hot"

"What?"

"N-nothing!"

Nico didn't mean to let that one slip out. He immediately covered his mouth with his free hand and scooted away. Percy looked confused and assumed that he probably didn't hear what he said. He silently thanked the gods and glared sideways. Little did the ghost king know that the son of Poseidon heard it. He didn't want to embarrass the younger teen so he kept his triumphant grin to himself.

Piper and Annabeth made their way back to the group and, finding that Nico's side has been taken, Piper dragged Annabeth to the place across them, the place where Percy and Annabeth had sat moments ago. He noticed the two girls and looked at Piper's face for any sign. Any sign that might contain her telling Annabeth about Nico's crush. She only beamed wide when she saw him staring. He felt a warm body press against his side and shivered as Percy's hot breath tickled his ears. "Y'know, between us, I think Piper likes Annabeth." He whispered. Gods, did he know how true that statement is. But, keeping his promise, said nothing about Piper's interest for the blonde. He only nodded in agreement. He glimpsed to his side to see Percy facing him but his face towards the pair in front of them. He took his time and dragged his eyes southward. Oh, how he loved to have that body on top of him.

Nico bit his lip at the thought. His eyelids lowered and he blushed lightly. If anyone were to look at him right now, they would've stopped whatever they were doing and let their jaws drop because this sight was a rare sight. No one has ever seen the ghost king make another expression than growl or scowl in annoyance. Sometimes he kept a straight poker face. But regarding how he blushes nearly every time the sea prince is around, he couldn't guess why people thought he couldn't feel anything else than being annoyed at everyone. He thought he was obvious every time he's around Percy but no one noticed. This time, however, someone broke that record.

Percy could feel someone staring at him and decided to turn his head towards the boy in front of him. His eyes went wide and took in the sight for a moment before Nico, too, were surprised and changed his mood as if nothing happened. His expression had gone as fast as Percy blinked. He edged back and coughed awkwardly when he noticed Percy was mere inches near his face. His eyes traveled to Piper's and saw her grinning from ear-to-ear. Fortunately, Annabeth was busy using the laptop Daedalus gave her. The Daedalus Laptop as she'd call it. The beautiful tanned girl mouth 'You're Welcome' before sticking her tongue out at him. Nico only glared but dropped it. He shook his head.

After Reyna attempted to tackle the bear out of Octavian's grip, which was probably a dare from one of the campers to Reyna, the blonde roman panted from having to support her weight. "Gods woman, you're buff and heavy!" He rolled his eyes. A few giggles and laughs here and there were heard. A few seconds passed and Nico didn't break his eye contact with Piper but tilted his head and knitted his eyebrows together when Piper said "dare" without looking at the group.

His eyesight went to the bottle that pointed at Piper. Oh no. Reyna's voice boomed from his other side as she stood up. He most likely didn't see Piper turn the bottle but now, he knows she's up. 'Oh gods. If I didn't think the gods didn't hate me now, I would if they point the bottle at me' He dreaded. "Piper Mclean, I dare you to kiss the most beautiful girl in group on the cheek" Reyna sat down and challenged the other. Piper broke our eye contact and thinned her lips at Reyna. Nico looked at Reyna as well and all I saw was challenge. Did Piper tell Reyna about her liking for the Athena descendant? He glanced from the both of them and something crossed between them.

Some campers went "Ooooohh!" when Piper hesitated. She turned to Annabeth and set her free hand on her shoulder. Before the blonde could look up, Piper scooted close and gave her a kiss on the cheek. The group went wild. Others clapped and others whistled. Annabeth definitely went red and blushed. Piper's face glowed a red tint but not as red as Annabeth's.

Nico smirked when Piper retracted. She tried to glare at the smirk but ended up smiling shyly.

"Okay, enough you guys. There's more room for whistling when it's time for Seven Minutes in Heaven." Leo raised his arms in the air and quieted everyone. Some cleared their throats from squealing and the other campers grinned. Jason rolled his eyes and Frank only shifted in his seat. Hazel, who was sitting beside him, blushed at the mention of Seven Minutes in Heaven. Piper made her way in the direction of the bottle and spun it. She backed away and Nico crossed my fingers. The ghost king hoped for all he's worth that it doesn't point at him. The bottle spun forever but it was slowing down. His eyes narrowed at it when it slowly spun at a last second. His fingers untangled themselves from luck and his whole form died when it pointed directly at him. Nico groaned loud for Piper to giggle at.

"So Neeks, truth or dare?" She wiggled her eyebrows suggestively at him. Nico only chuckled at the ridiculous action but felt worked up on a simple question. He knew if he said truth, she'll probably make him confess him undying love for Percy. Or worse, she might make him re-enact his love for him. Both choices were a trap. Without giving it a second though, Nico set his decision on dare. 'I mean, it's not like she'll make me do anything to him. She should know that.' He thought selfishly. He took a deep breath and said, "dare".

Nico knew he waltzed right into a trap when he saw Piper smirk. "I dare you to sing about your love and/or crush life," she began. His mouth dropped open. "WHAT?!" He practically screamed. But she wasn't finished. "a song only sung by Lady Gaga." She wiggled her index finger in front of her and held the smirk on her face. Nico's face was red from embarrassment and he hasn't even started yet. He sprung up from his seat to argue but the child of Hephaestus commented. "Oh great! I never heard Nico sing before! This is going to be good." Leo beamed childishly and propped his head on both hands. The whole group started chanting "SING! SING! SING!" when Leo announced his curiosity.

Nico's POV

Piper silenced them with a raise of her hand. "What's the song, Romeo?" She smiled. Clearly, she was having fun torturing me. I hesitated at first. I know I couldn't get out of this one alive. I tried to remember the songs I've heard and huffed. I lowered my gaze down on the ground and after a long silence, replied. "Bad Romance." I looked up and found grinning faces. Suddenly, Leo came back with a radio and pressed a button. The song Bad Romance came on. I hesitated again but decided to follow the song's lyrics. 'I'm going to kill her for this!' I thought bitterly.

Oh-oh-oh-oh-ohhh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh!

Caught in a bad romance

Oh-oh-oh-oh-ohhh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh!

Caught in a bad romance

I began singing the first part. To avoid further embarrassment, I crossed my arms and stared hard at the floor beneath me. I could feel the stares burning right through me. The night wasn't that quiet and I could hear the other campers who didn't decide to join the join-along.

I want your drama

The touch of your hand

I want your leather-studded kiss in the sand

I want your love

Love-love-love

I want your love

I fisted my black shirt and had the courage to look up into Piper's eyes. She was apologetic but the other half was busy celebrating her triumph. I stared hard enough to turn into a glare. She only smiled and tilted her head towards Percy but I definitely didn't bother looking at him.

I want your love

She nodded her head as if encouraging me to look behind. I don't.

And I want your revenge

She took her eyes off me and stared at the person she was nodding to. Probably Percy.

You and me could write a bad romance

The resistance fell and I looked back. What I didn't expect was: Percy staring at my lower back. He quickly looked up, shock written on his face. I turned around quickly and faced Piper. No one noticed the way Percy looked though. They only assumed I looked back and turned around for no reason. I continued singing without looking at Piper and waited for the song to end. It finally neared its end.

Je veux ton amour

Et je veux ta revanche

J'veux ton amour

I don't wanna be friends

Oh-oh-oh-oh-oooh!

I don't wanna be friends

For some reason, I actually liked the way the French words rolled off my tongue. I kept my voice steady til' the part it goes high and surprisingly, I hit the high notes!

Want your bad romance!

I repeat the chorus and wait for the laughter that awaits me but it never came. I came to a conclusion that my singing was horrible. But when I heard them cheer and clap, I quickly glanced and everyone was on their feet, clapping. It took me a moment to figure out why they were clapping. 'They liked it?' I thought. "Nico, you never told us you sing so good!" Leo made his way towards me and lifted his hand to give me a pat but one look from me told him otherwise. He chuckled nervously and dropped his arm awkwardly. "Eheh. Yeah.." He slowly went back to his seat. Once everyone settled, I crouched down and spun the bottle. I backed off and sat back on my place. I sighed.

"You have a great voice. Why don't you sing more often?" Percy had the guts to sling his arm around my neck. I shrugged but inside, my heart was beating rapidly. "What's there to sing about?" I commented. He looked up in thought and shrugged too. I smiled softly and turned to the bottle. It pointed at Annabeth!

I lifted my gaze up the blonde's eyes and she stared back. "Truth or dare?" I asked casually. "Truth" She answered in monotone. Dam it. No way in embarrassing her. I don't even know if she hates me for getting Percy's attention but regarding the way she's looking at me, she probably does. She's got Piper! That girl has to be clear with what she wants. Wait, does Annabeth even like Piper? One way to find out. "If all boys vanish and you were desperate for love, would you go to Piper and ask her to be your lover?" I asked. It came out as emotionless as her answer when she said she picked truth. I was really curious and I wasn't aiming triumph. I only wanted to know what she thinks of Piper. This got the best of her.

Piper narrowed her eyes at me but Annabeth's eyes were wide with shock. She closed the laptop and took a moment to steal a peek at Piper. Piper looked at her expectantly and Annabeth looked back at me. "I-I… Uhhh" She stuttered. I heard some go "oooohh" because, really, who made Annabeth stutter before? This was new. Piper sighed and gave Annabeth a light pat on the back. "You don't need to answer if this bothers you. Nico's just being a big j-"

"Yes" the blonde muttered but everyone heard.

My lips turned up when Piper managed a blush. Annabeth's cheeks were red as well. They stared at each other before looking away. "L-Like what you said, only if the boys vanish" Piper stuttered, emphasizing on "if". I smiled at her and she her blush darkens more. "Whatever you say" I shrugged it off. The blonde girl huffed and reached out to spin the bottle. This night is definitely far from being over.